Rain check
by Tolerance
Summary: Kisses in the rain are totally overrated, right? Post IM1. One-shot.


Oh-kay. So cheesy and popular, rain. Right? I just needed something to get me in the writing mood. Plus, I miss the rain myself. Sorry for any mistakes that I didn't catch (die commas!). I own nothing. Post IM1.

* * *

When his eyes couldn't focus anymore and neck felt stiff, he decided to call it a day. For the last 10 hours Tony went through every possible bug that Hot Rod could have. There wasn't anything more he could think of to do with it.

Wiping his hands into his t-shirt, Tony sat on the biggest couch in the shop and for a moment thought about falling asleep on it right away, his eyelids growing heavier and heavier. However, considering neck stiffness and its painful future due to the couch sleeping, he slowly got up and headed for the stairs. He really hoped that Pepper would be already gone home, cause it was around 11 pm. His workout on the car was mainly done to avoid his assistant for as long as he could. Luckily, she chose not to bug him either with any kind of business since morning. _Thank God_, he thought, because if she did, he could simply jump her if he just saw her. Tony was really trying to get a grip on himself and control his actions, but just the knowledge that she was upstairs, roaming around his house, was killing him. She rebuffed him once already, enough for some time and his pride.

He had no idea what was up with him lately. Just her glance at him, a bit prolonged too, would send electricity down his spine.

As he slowly approached the top of the shop stairs, Tony scanned his living room for Pepper, but she was nowhere in sight. With a sigh of relief he started walking to the kitchen for one last doze of superhero's painkillers before sleep. That was when he noticed Pepper's stuff all spread across the table and couch.

"JARVIS? Is Miss Potts still here?" he asked his AI, looking around the house stupidly.

"Yes, sir. She's currently on the main terrace," JARVIS answered and before Tony's steps turned there, he added, "I don't recommend going outside, though, sir. It's raining heavily."

"Is it?" came Tony's curious response. It's been weeks since it rained properly in Malibu.

Opening glass doors to the quite dark terrace, he saw sky was full of heavy and dark clouds, that were currently producing ridiculous amounts of water. After blinking a couple of times to adjust his eyes to the darkness, he noticed Pepper at last. Muffled in a blanket, with her hair damp already, she stood under the roof, sticking her hands out to the rain. When Tony came closer to her, he could tell she noticed his presence, but kept her eyes closed anyways. She finally dared a question after a couple of long seconds.

"I'm sorry, do you need me for something?" Pepper asked and slowly turned to him, her eyes finally open, looking at him with a beaming smile on her lovely, rosy lips.

Tony's response was caught somewhere in his throat. She looked so relaxed and… absolutely gorgeous.

"Aren't you cold?" came from him after a moment of slightly embarrassed silence.

Pepper shrugged and waved her hand with the hem of the blanket, "I'm fine here."

Her gaze came back to the heavy drops falling from the sky. "I adore this kind of weather. I like the sun, but rain is my thing, you know? Too bad there's so little of it in this part of California," she sighed, biting her lower lip.

Tony's could swear that blood rushed louder in his ears at this action. _The damn lip biting, _he painfully thought and chew on his tongue. Probably sexiest thing ever, to him.

"What so special about it?" Tony asked, totally interested. He never thought of kind of weather in terms of love, or likeness even. When it rains you use your umbrella, when the sun is crazy you put on some sunglasses. Simple as that.

She responded slowly, like she was trying to choose her words carefully so he understood her. "I love its constancy. It seems to murmur to me with its sounds. These romantic movies using rain to build some kiss scenes are so overrated, you know? It's so selfish of them. For me it's a break from the stress. It's like... it builds a curtain around me and there's no one else." Pepper answered and licked her lips slowly, "Oh, how I like this," she added with a quiet laugh and stuck her hands out once again.

"Pep, maybe you need vacations if you feel overloaded with work..." Tony sighed, guilt filling up his whole body.

"I don't need vacations," Pepper shook her head, "From time to time I need my rain break to deal with things that overwhelm me. With you, being Iron Man, it's even harder."

"Are you afraid of doing job hunting in a near future?" Tony tried a joke, but when he saw the concerned look on her face, he immediately fell silent.

"You don't understand this, do you?" now irritated, read-head shot back and leaned forward to him, "You play with your life like it's nothing, and I'm awfully sick to stomach with fear every time you go on your missions."

Tony shrugged and mumbled, "Well, maybe you'll find a more handsome boss, who will treat you better."

Pepper said nothing, but her eyes went into the most dark shade of blue Tony could ever imagine.

"Are you tired of me?" he sighed, "You probably are. Hell, I would be tired of myself."

"I'm tired of loving you, Anthony Stark," she mumbled, her cheeks turning a shade of pink, "I'm tired because I can't help it, even when you count the models you've done, drink yourself to unconsciousness or leave me when I'm opening myself for you."

"Wha-? I mean, what? You're the one that rejected me. Before press conference," he blurted out, not believing his ears. He blinked a couple of times stupidly, not understanding this woman at all.

"Seriously? Superhero's girlfriend? Is that what you need me for, Stark? And leave me the moment you see some other girl that might suit in for the title? I don't think so," Pepper snapped.

Tony grumbled under his nose with a couple of incomprehensible words.

"Sorry? Do you have any proof against that?" she grunted and rolled her eyes.

Irritated, Tony burst out unexpectedly, his face color changing to red a little and gesturing with his hands, "What do you want from me, Pepper? I'm new to this love thing, I had no idea how to communicate this to you. And yes, you can bitch about the women, I was an idiot. I know, I swear! But did it ever come to you, smart-ass, that maybe, just maybe, I realized something after being for three damn months in captivity? That I am alone, that I practically got nothing, but you. I don't know how you want me to prove that, should I shout out my apologies in every magazine I know to make you believe I've changed? Start begging you on my knees to be with me?" he questioned, his face now crumpled into a rueful grimace, "Because I really can do that."

There was no answer from his assistant, that was totally taken aback for quite a long time. Tony was panting lightly, wondering how the hell they ended up having this conversation.

"Did you say love?" she asked, shocked.

"Well, yes," he grumbled with another shrug, "Huh, I _am _capable of loving."

"Do you really mean all of that you just said?"

"Why would I shout that out otherwise?" Tony responded, trying to calm himself and sound like it, "Can you forgive me being a total ass?" he tried again, his words full of hope.

Before Tony could realize it, Pepper made her way towards him and pulled his body to hers by his t-shirt so strongly (were her petite hands that hefty?) that they both were now standing in the open rain.

"Let's see how much kisses in the rain are overrated," she whispered before their lips locked in a gentle kiss. Pepper's hands slid up Tony's chest, and when they reached his neck he moaned into her mouth, feeling her fingers going through his black, untidy hair. Once he sobered a bit from all the sensations that the red-head got him into, his right hand slid down to her waist, pulling her in a strong grip against him. His other hand went up to her wet, strawberry locks.

Tony couldn't recall if he kissed anybody in the past with so many emotions like he was now. It was new to him, how their kisses were sending words of love, rather than lust. After a couple of seconds they both came up for air, their clothes already soaking wet.

"Totally overrated," Tony murmured against her sweet, wet lips, just to catch them once more. Pepper broke from him in a moment, her mind reeling intensively.

They stood there, for what it seemed like hours, when Pepper whispered hoarsely in his ear, "I wonder if the bedroom ones are that overrated too," and with that pulled him inside the house, blushing a bit.

Tony halted in his tracks, opened his eyes widely at her words and muttered, "Pep, slow down, I can wait. I don't want you to call me ass again in the morning or something..."

"I can't wait," she responded quickly and shut him up with another kiss, lust obviously building between them, "I've waited long enough. It's _raining_, Tony."

These words were enough for him. He took her by the hand, breaking the kiss, and rushed them to the stairs. As soon as they reached the second floor, he pinned her to the wall and caught her lips in another kiss. She let out a giggle, when she felt his wet goatee tickling her. Pepper could feel his lips form into a smile against her cheek, now that his mouth was making its way to her collar, attacking aggressively her soft skin. It was her turn to moan now, as he gently, but with loads of passion, nibbled here and there, leaving red spots.

"Tony... Um, Tony, you're making hickeys. I can't go to the office like that..." Pepper barely managed to speak.

"To hell with the office," Tony murmured against her skin, clearly trying to make a hard one to be hidden in the future, "I'm marking what's mine. Property of A. E. Stark, Miss Potts. Thought you would knew, as my PA."

She pinched his side slightly, not happy about being called a property. Then his face came back to the level of hers, serious as never, playfulness long gone.

"I love you," he whispered and cocked his head to the side a little.

"I love yo-" Pepper started, but was interrupted by an unexpected sneeze from her.

Totally concerned Tony hugged her tighter, but laughed quietly anyways, "That's enough of rain for you, ma'am."

With these words he lifted her by her hips, still pinning her against the wall. She automatically wrapped her legs around his waist and felt her whole skin being covered with goosebumps. Actually Pepper's whole body was shivering from arousal and feeling of their bodies in such intimate position. Tony interpreted it as she was freezing and carried her through the hallway into the bedroom, starting on another line of kisses in the valley between her breasts. Pepper let out a deep breath when he set her at the corner of his bed.

"Sir, I recommend you and Miss Potts to stop the current activities due to the fact that both of you show serious signs of a cold," JARVIS pointed, as shameless as computed could be, "I suggest a break in the bacteria exchange and-"

"Mute," the frustrated billionaire barked at the AI and almost threw himself on Pepper, who was now laughing loudly at the computer's comment.

Tony sucked lightly on her earlobe, when he felt Pepper roll them over, pulling herself on top of him. She just grinned widely and kissed him hungrily on the mouth, while her hands searched for the bottom of his shirt. His hands found her thighs and slowly, making small circles against her skin, he pushed the hem of her pencil dress up as far as the tight material let him. Pepper growled and pushed herself away from him just for a moment, to draw the zipper on the side of the dress down, so Tony could pull it over her head and throw the useless clothing to the side. When their lips met once more, she could feel his tongue demand an entrance again, and she gladly opened her mouth wider for him.

Her slim fingers undid quickly his shirt buttons and his belt, removing a bit clumsily both shirt and pants, but also breaking the kiss. Both of them stopped for a moment in the event going on there, panting heavily, just to look each other in the eyes. Pepper smiled slightly at the man underneath her, and touched the Arc Reactor gently, with gracefulness for keeping this man alive. They both met halfway, their lips in a slow and loving kiss.

Whispers were made, kisses shared and names moaned with sounds of rain harmonizing in the background, until both of them were sound asleep in each others arms.

* * *

Pepper was awoken by her own coughing. Then she felt something heavy move across her middle, grab her and pull against a very warm object. Tony. Her boss. She blinked a couple of times before she understood that they were naked, in his bed. When she recalled the last night events at last, Pepper smiled to herself. Her thoughts were interrupted by another cough, this time not coming from her.

"Guess, we need a sick leave then, don't we?" Tony laughed and placed a gentle kiss on the back of her neck, "I wonder what we can do to kill this time, while getting better," he wondered playfully.

Pepper shifted a bit to look out the window, "It's quite clouded and still heavy raining outside, so we have to stay politely indoors, in bed, doctor," she answered.

"It's okay, sister," he answered with a wide smile and added before pulling her in a kiss, "I think I like the rain, too."

* * *

_One month later_

Tony Stark was trying to focus his eyes on the ocean of documents and charts in front of him, but he just couldn't manage to. His accountant's voice was making him even sleepier. If his personal assistant was here, he surely wouldn't be that bored. He would make her to play footsy with him, or try to catch her stare and make clear to her he was thinking dirty things, or...

For another 5 minutes Tony was staring blankly at the white board, that this guy (Jake or James – he wasn't sure) was filling up with numbers and strange scribbles, and his mind totally drifted into a different place. Where he would be alone with Pepper.

That was when he heard the other accountant's (who cares for the names, really) voice saying, "Oh, damn, it's starting to rain. Looks like I have to cancel barbecue with Jeffrey. Shame really."

Tony stared through the window and rubbed his hand against the goatee. Without another word he stood up and walked out of the office, leaving his employees totally dumbfounded. Within a couple of seconds he reached his office's doors, expecting his lovely and secret girlfriend to be there. He wasn't mistaken and when he opened the doors he noticed her sitting in his seat talking to some other woman at the other side of the desk.

"Pep. Ugh, I mean Miss Potts, there's a situation you need to help me at," Tony said calmly, totally proud of his little plan.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Robinson, I'll be right back," Pepper assured her and followed her boss out of the doors.

"What is it?" Pepper asked suspiciously, "I really hope you didn't drag me out of there and leave your meeting with the accountants just for some silly reason. And no, I will not do anything that your dirty mind have just came up with," she added.

"Come with me," was all Tony said, a smug smile approaching his lips, but making his best efforts to hide it. He led her into the elevator with his hand gripping on hers. Even when they got out of it on the first floor, he wouldn't let go of her hand.

Confused Pepper asked, "Why are we going outside, Tony? I don't have time for your games-" she broke when she saw that they were standing now in the parking lot, a slight rain there already turning into a hard one.

"It's raining," Tony replied sheepishly and dragged her out into the rain, catching her small waist with his strong hands.

Pepper broke quickly away from him, looking around scared, "Tony, somebody might see us. It's almost 5 pm already and employees are leaving. Sstop..." she hissed and tried to go back to the building to save her suit from soaking wet totally.

"I don't care. I want my overrated kiss in the rain, that's what I care about," he murmured, pulling her back to him with a hand that didn't leave her waist. Then he pressed his lips to hers with unusual passion.

Pepper's mind went totally blank the second he kissed her. She didn't think about any of the employees anymore. She pushed herself more into Tony and slid her hands up his neck, titling her head to give his tongue a better access to her mouth.

"Way to go, boss!" they heard a shout followed by wolf-whistles coming from the Stark Industries entrance. Tony laughed and pressed his forehead against Pepper's.

"I hope I won't be sick again, you stupid brat," Pepper tried to sound angry, but inside was simply happy to be in his arms again.

"Even if... totally worth it," Tony answered, nipping at her lips again, "I tell you, playing doctor and nurse ain't overrated to me, yet."

_Fin_

_

* * *

_Well look at that! It's raining out here! ;) Thank you for reading._  
_


End file.
